Penny Heyns | Olympic Champion | Inspirational Speaker

As an international swimmer, Penny Heyns established herself as the world’s greatest female breaststroke of the 20th Century by becoming the only woman in Olympic history to win both the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke events in Atlanta 1996, bronze in Sydney 2000 and by breaking a total of 14 individual world records during her career.

Furthermore, she is still the only Breaststroke swimmer, male or female, in the history of swimming to break long course world records in all three possible distances, namely the 50m, 100m and 200m.

Her achievements brought her personal audiences with Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s beloved “Madiba”, and catapulted her into the world of sporting celebrity. While she spent much of her time in the United States and Canada, her heart remained in South Africa, where she now lives.

She has not, however, just excelled as a sports woman in the international arena, but has established herself, after her retirement in 2001, as a businesswoman, guest television presenter, coach and a sought after Inspirational speaker. She builds her presentations on her own experiences with real life examples applicable to the world of business, sport and life.

Her experiences, both while training internationally in the US and Canada with some of the most successful athletes in those respective countries, and while competing  at the forefront of international competition, have given her unparalleled insights into what it takes to get to the top, and more importantly, how to stay there.

2006 saw Penny become an inaugural inductee into the South African Sport Hall of Fame and in May of 2007

She joined the prestigious company of international icons such as Johnny Weissmuller, better known as the original Tarzan and Mark Spitz when she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale in Florida, USA.

Most recently in 2012, she became the first non-track & female athlete to be inducted into the Africa Sports Hall of Fame.

Her experiences, both whilst training internationally in the US and in Canada with some of the most successful athletes in those respective countries and whilst competing on the forefront of international competition, has given Penny unparalleled insights into what it takes to get to the top, and more importantly, what it takes to stay there.

Not only has she widely addressed South African audiences, but she has spoken internationally as far abroad as the USA, Canada, Australia, Sri-Lanka, Dubai and our neighboring African countries such as Zambia, Namibia, Botswana and Swaziland.

For all people, regardless of race, creed, colour, age or gender, Penny brings a dynamic and powerful message of hope, inspiration and upliftment which empowers people to take control of their lives, realize their untapped potential and to fulfill their material and spiritual journey.